Notice Prepare For The End (of an Era)

[garrison-san]

It is with much sadness that we announce the imminent retirement of one of our longest-standing and hardest-working members of staff here on Bulbagarden.

This member of staff has contributed immeasurably to the Pokemon fandom for so many years. Due to his knowledge of the Japanese language and culture, he is able to service fans of the anime (and other areas of Pokemon media) in ways which very few others here can do. He has been invaluable not only in his work as a translator, but also in providing insights into Japanese culture and media practices which give context to so much of the Pokemon anime, thus deepening the understanding and appreciation that countless viewers have for it. He has also helped to keep order in the anime forum through some truly turbulent times, such as the controversy surrounding the VA switch. His retirement represents a significant loss for the Bulbagarden team, and it will certainly be a difficult void to fill.

I refer to none other than @Dogasu;, who has decided that the time has come for him to step down from his position as Head of Anime, after a decade, in order to focus on more personal pursuits. While we are very sorry to see him go, we respect his decision and feel that he has more than earned his right to move onto pastures new. We still hope to see him around the forums, and we look forward to seeing what future developments he has in store for his website (which he will have even more time to work on now!). I hope that you will join me in thanking him for all that he has done for the forum in his time as Anime Head, and to wish him the best for whatever the future might bring.

(And yes, Dogasu has already made a thread announcing the change in forum heads, but we figured that he has been such a big part of the forum for such a long time that he deserved to have his own separate thread for all of your well wishes.)

 

[Nymphia]

For his memory, this is the prediction for next year that I will comment.

I predict that Pocket Monsters X and Y will come out in Japan on October 12th, 2013. Why? Well, video games typically come out on Saturdays in Japan, and October 12th is the first day of a three day weekend (that Monday is Tai'iku no Hi, which you often see translated as "Sports Day"). Kids will therefore not have school on Monday, making that the perfect time to release a new video game. I think the U.S. will get the games on Tuesday, October 15th. The European games on the 18th or 25th, and the American on the 20th and Australia could get on the 17th/24th. Good Saturday for Japan, though.
I don't want to get into too many X & Y predictions because I'd be here all day if I do, so I'll just make one more: I think Generation VI will be the first generation to not have all its pokemon spoiled on day one. The 3DS' ability to do DLC means Game Freak can leave the data for the legendaries off the actual carts themselves and have them added in later, enabling them to actually keep the secret pokemon a secret this time around. Agreed and remember that the 3DS hasn't got hacked yet.
I think we'll get one more side game before X & Y come out in October. Eleven months without a single Pokemon game is a long time, so I'm thinking they'll announce - and then release - a new side game between now and then. Perhaps a Pokemon Ranger 3DS which will also have some legendary pokemon egg that you'll be able to transfer to your X & Y games later on? Of there's one, it will be revealed on this CoroCoro.
So, what's going to happen in (deep breath) Pocket Monsters Best Wishes! Season 2 Episode N? Well...it's kind of hard to say. We'll see Satoshi's Lizardon come back before July (because of the movie) and the whole thing will end at the White Ruins, but other than that? Um...I think Charbu will evolve into Emboar, as redundant as having two fully evolved Fire-Types on his team will be? It's difficult predict anything of Episode N, really.
I think "The Rocket-Dan vs. The Plasma-Dan" will air, in some form, later this year. I'm iffy of this, but there's something that could use footage from those episodes.
Iris and Dent will have their farewells and will not go to the X and Y series. Iris will return to Souryuu City and become a Gym Leader while Dent goes back to the Sanyou City Gym to be with his brothers. The Dent thing is iffy, remember. Hopefully, hopefully they'll both get a full episode to themselves, but after the way they handled Takeshi's departure back in DP I'm not holding my breath. I expect everything about the main cast, including returning! characters
Satoshi and Pikachu will stay for the new series. Obviously. No comment here
The Rocket-Dan, on the other hand...that's kind of 50/50. I'm leaning toward them being written out at the end of BW (and for real this time...none of that "Don't miss the Rocket-Dan's final battle!" bullcrap from before), though, because there doesn't really seem to be any point in keeping the trio around anymore. I think that they'll, stay. But the TR issue each day is more difficult to understand. And remembers that Meowth isn't as marketable as Pikachu now. And the Kanto motto is kind of suspicious.
An all-new Generation VI pokemon will be teased at the end of the Genosect movie, just like how Victini was teased at the end of the Zorro'ark one back in 2010. Let's see
CD-wise, we'll get the four Rocket-Dan radio show CDs, a Yajirushi ni Natte! 2013 single, a Sakura-Go-Round single (Shiritsu Ebisu Shougakkou is not on Media Factory's record label so I think a release with both the opening and ending on it is unlikely), a soundtrack for the Genosect movie, two CDs for the movie's ending theme (one regular and one limited edition), a Pocket Monsters X and Pocket Monsters Y video game soundtrack (I'm guessing a four disc set), a CD for the new TV series' opening theme, and a CD for the new TV series' ending theme (which will feature some other young girl idol group). So twelve CDs altogether.
At least two new manga series will pop up related to Pocket Monsters X & Y; one will be a short, one volume dealie that won't leave Japan while the other will be a much longer series.
And finally,
Every time a new pokemon is revealed, cries of "It doesn't look like a Pokémon!" or "It looks like a Digimon" will be echoed across the Internet, much to our annoyance. Guaranteed.

 

[Mitchman]

Haha, that's an awesome prediction. But anyway, have fun with your retirement, gonna take some time to you not being a mod!

 

[John Understands]

It'll take time to not see Dogasu in bold.

Hope he enjoys this.

 

[Satoshi Da Ze]

Just wanted to say, in case he reads this...

If it wasn't for your review/comparison website I wouldn't have bothered to watch the anime series again (in the original format no less).
Regardless of how disappointed I am with the direction it headed since the beginning of Best Wishes I don't regret it.

It wasn't until recently that I found out you contributed a lot to bulbagarden as a whole. Still, thanks for all the hard work!

 

[OshyHikari]

I'm gonna miss seeing ya on staff Dogasu, from all that time I've been lurking as a guest.

Your contribution to the Pokemon Anime forum was amazing.